1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new and improved system for positioning and maintaining a horizontal plate upon a horizontal surface such as the upper face of a rest element, typically when such plate and such rest element are pieces of a modular furniture system, the main advantage of said positioning system of the invention being that its pieces do not affect the plate surfaces so that said plate can be used upside down at will without showing any element of the system.
2. Related Art
A modular furniture system of this kind is described in the EP-A-91440021.3 of the applicant. In such system it is common to position and maintain a plate upon its rest block with studs/cups couples provided respectively on each face of the plate and on the upper face of the rest block or with bolts passing through the plate to engage a housing in the block.
However, one advantage of this system is the possibility for an angular plate to be turned upside down to invert the orientation thereof, to obtain large working surfaces of sineous shape, but inasmuch said positioning means must be present on both faces, which affects the aesthetics of the assembly, the non-used means remaining visible on the upper face of the plate.
This invention eliminates this drawback with a new system for efficiently positioning and maintaining a plate upon a horizontal support by acting only laterally upon the plate, i.e. only the edge of the plate without affecting any part of the working surface, whatever its orientation.